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There was a time when you didn't "need" a PC, either, and they were seen as just nerd toys and things yuppies used to balance their checkbooks, back when "balan

There was a time when you didn't "need" a PC, either, and they were seen as just nerd toys and things yuppies used to balance their checkbooks, back when "balancing your checkbook" was a thing you had to do. This changed with the advent of the Web, and held until desktops gave way to smartphones. If you could time-travel back to the 80s and 90s, plenty of folks would have scoffed that anyone would ever "need" a computer, let alone a computer in their pocket. But a lot of that is because "a computer" was a bulky beige thing with a CRT monitor, and maybe if you were really into it a 2400 baud modem. But then you'd have to splurge for a second phone line or pick which device to use, the modem or the phone. So I'd be wary of writing off AR/MR/XR as a dead end, as opposed to a technology that still needs more innovation to reach the mainstream. Glasses themselves are mainstream, and have been for centuries. What's holding AR devices back is the ability to miniaturize the necessary holographic technology, as well as the batteries and processing power. This will eventually be solved, just like an iPhone now has more processing power than the supercomputers of decades before. The problem with VR will always remain the same. You can't interact with other people while you have a big thing on your face that's designed to supplant your entire field of view, which limits desirable use cases.

tqi 2y ago
> If you could time-travel back to the 80s and 90s, plenty of folks would have scoffed that anyone would ever "need" a computer, let alone a computer in their pocket. Is that true? I feel like people have imagined portable communication / computing devices forever[1]. People maybe couldn't imagine that they could ever be small enough to be practical, but the utility of such a device was pretty obvious. Similarly, I think "VR" as a concept has obvious value and applications. However current implementations fall far short of what is necessary to unlock that value for most people / scenarios. [1] https://www.geeksandbeats.com/2016/02/star-trek-technology-today/ https://www.geeksandbeats.com/2016/02/star-trek-technology-t...
- Terr_ 2y ago
  > I feel like people have imagined portable communication / computing devices forever Another example would be fictional comic-book detective Dick Tracy's wristwatch, which started as two-way audio in 1946 and got upgraded to video in 1964.
- jacobgkau 2y ago
  I guess you're both right. People knew there'd be reasons computers would be nice to have, but scoffed at the idea that it would be realistic, or would become an actual necessity. People now know that there are ways VR could be cool, but many aren't yet convinced it can be done well enough/cheap enough to be worth it, nor are they imagining it being day-to-day tech yet.
  - asadotzler 2y ago
    It cannot be done well enough or cheap enough or in a form factor people are willing to use at scale. It's a dead end until those all change. Decades at least.
- growfeather 2y ago
  There are people alive today who can’t fathom why anyone ‘needs’ a computer/smartphone.
- f6v 2y ago
  > I feel like people have imagined portable communication / computing devices forever Yeah, the visionaries. 90% of the population didn’t, and now they all have smartphones.

tqi 2y ago

> If you could time-travel back to the 80s and 90s, plenty of folks would have scoffed that anyone would ever "need" a computer, let alone a computer in their pocket. Is that true? I feel like people have imagined portable communication / computing devices forever[1]. People maybe couldn't imagine that they could ever be small enough to be practical, but the utility of such a device was pretty obvious. Similarly, I think "VR" as a concept has obvious value and applications. However current implementations fall far short of what is necessary to unlock that value for most people / scenarios. [1] https://www.geeksandbeats.com/2016/02/star-trek-technology-today/ https://www.geeksandbeats.com/2016/02/star-trek-technology-t...

Terr_ 2y ago
> I feel like people have imagined portable communication / computing devices forever Another example would be fictional comic-book detective Dick Tracy's wristwatch, which started as two-way audio in 1946 and got upgraded to video in 1964.
jacobgkau 2y ago
I guess you're both right. People knew there'd be reasons computers would be nice to have, but scoffed at the idea that it would be realistic, or would become an actual necessity. People now know that there are ways VR could be cool, but many aren't yet convinced it can be done well enough/cheap enough to be worth it, nor are they imagining it being day-to-day tech yet.
- asadotzler 2y ago
  It cannot be done well enough or cheap enough or in a form factor people are willing to use at scale. It's a dead end until those all change. Decades at least.
growfeather 2y ago
There are people alive today who can’t fathom why anyone ‘needs’ a computer/smartphone.
f6v 2y ago
> I feel like people have imagined portable communication / computing devices forever Yeah, the visionaries. 90% of the population didn’t, and now they all have smartphones.